Smoker&#39;s appliance



July 6, 1937. FLORMAN 2,086,410

SMOKERS APPLIANCE Filed April 5, 1934 lfi 3 a 4 Fig .5

3mm frwpy F/arm Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Claims.

My invention relates to smokers appliances and more particularly to a smokers appliance adapted for table use and embodying a container for cigarettes, a lighter therefor, and an 5 ash receptacle tray.

The invention is particularly adapted for lighters of the scratch type. In such lighters a steel striker is manually drawn across a strip of flint to ignite a wick or absorbent positioned adjacent the striker.

My invention for the first time embodies such a scratch type lighter in a combination cigarette container and tray. The complete arrangement, while light in weight, is so proportioned that striking of the steel and igniting the lighter can be accomplished by the user with one hand and without steadying the device with the other. Moreover, the cigarettes are retained in such a way that they may be easily withdrawn one at a time. Any tobacco which may have become loosened will fall into the tray positioned beneath the container. The tray not only acts as an ash receptacle but is of such proportions as to, render the arrangement stable when the I ilighter is operated.

My arrangement is easy to manufacture and assemble. It may be constructed so that the flint strip will be long enough to produce a spark when the steel is drawn across it even though very little pressure is applied, while at the same 0 time the device is neat and attractive in appearance. Lighters with short flint strips are generally unsatisfactory. They often fail to light the wick unless considerable pressure is applied, and when this is done the relatively soft flint material is often ruined in a very short time. My invention avoids this disadvantage.

The objects of my invention are to effect these results and advantages mentioned.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the invention, a portion of the lighter being in cross-section to show the steel striker.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cigarette container and lighter.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the lighter showing the flint strip in its guide groove.

The device, as shown in Fig. 1, consists of an ash receptacle tray 2 which serves as a base and support for the cigarette container 4 and the lighter 6. The tray 2 has a raised central portion 8 provided with an aperture i0.

The cigarette container 4 is of a height sufficient to hold about ten cigarettes l2 which may be drawn out one by one through the opening I4 which is formed by cutting off one lower corner. As shown in the plan View in Fig. 2 the cigarette container 4 is of a width just slightly greater than the width of a cigarette l2, so that when the container is full the cigarettes will lie horizontally one above another.

The bottom of the cigarette container 4 has secured thereto an internally threaded stem l6 which supports the container 4 and the lighter 6 above the tray 2 to which it may be secured by means of a threaded bolt 18 passed through the aperture ID in the raised central portion 8 of the tray.

The lighter 6 is rigidly secured to one end edge wall 20 of the cigarette container 4. The lighter itself consists of a fuel holding casing having side walls 22, 24 and end walls 26, 28. Along end wall 28 is formed a groove 30 in which lies a strip 32 of flint material running from top to bottom of the lighter. In the top wall 34 of the casing is a threaded opening 36 into which screws a striker 38 having a handle or knob 40, a steel striking element 42, and a wick or absorbent 44. The casing is filled with cotton or similar fuel holding material 46. Fuel may be inserted into the casing through the opening 36 when the striker 38 has been removed.

The lighter operates in the usual manner. The wick or absorbent 44 takes up fuel from the cotton 44. It is withdrawn by the handle 40 and the steel 42 is drawn along the flint strip 32 while guided by the groove 30. The sparks ignite the fuel and the wick burns. By reinserting the striker the flame is extinguished. When the container 4 is of a height sufficient to hold about ten cigarettes the flint will be long enough to produce a spark and light the wick with one stroke of the striker 38.

The terms steel striker and flint are used herein in their broadest sense. They are intended to define any striker element which may produce a spark when drawn across a strip of material.

The cigarette container 4 and the fuel casing may be made of sheet metal or tubing or can all be die cast in one piece. The tray may be of any suitable material which preferably should match 0 tive smokers appliance but will enable the lighter to be operated easily without even steadying the device. Since the flint is long the absorbent ignites easily. Moreover, since the tray has a diameter somewhat greater than the Width of the container and lighter combined, it is virtually impossible to tip the arrangement when operating the lighter. Still the base, and in fact. the whole device, is light in weight.

My arrangement conveniently combines all the articles used in smoking cigarettes in the home, namely, the cigarettes and their container, the

lighter, and the ash tray. The novel manner which this is accomplished leads to the ,advan-' tages mentioned above and provides an article which is extremely useful and effective.

It is obvious that the tray and container arrangement described may be used with lighters of other types positioned in relatively the same place. However, as mentioned above, the combination which includes a scratchtype lighter has particular advantages.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is set forth in the following claims: I H

1. In a device for smokers comprising an ash tray, a container comprising a dispensing cigarette compartment and a scratch lighter, said elements being combined to form a unitary structure, said container having a dispensing opening in one lower corner thereof through which cigarettes may bewithdrawn from said cigarette compartment one at atime, and a second compartment within said container forming a fuel casing for said lighter, a flint strip secured to on'eof the walls of said container, and a striker, said container being centrally supported above and spaced from said ash tray, said ashtray being of a circumference sufficient to give said device stability and to prevent the same from being tipped over when said striker is scraped over saidflintstrip, said ash traycollecting to bacco clippings falling out of said dispensing opening and collecting any matter scraped from said flint strip when saidstriker is scraped over the same and preventing said matter from burning, scorching or soiling the support on which the device rests.

2, A device according to claim 1, said fuel casing being integrally secured. to said container and forming a part of said container.

3, A device according to claim 1, said fuel casing being integrally secured to said container adjacent one vertical end wall thereof and being of substantially the same height and width as said end wall, said flint strip extending substantially from the top to the bottom of said conof substantially the same height and width as said end wall, said flint strip extending substantially from the top to the bottom of said container l and being secured thereto along one side thereof, said steel striker being removably inserted into and secured to said fuelcasing, said ash tray having a diameter greater than any dimension of thecontainer including the lighter.

5. A device according to claim 1, said container being of a thickness slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette of standard size and of a height sufiicient to hold substantially ten cigarettes in horizontal position one 'above'the other,

said ash tray provided with a raised central portion having an aperture therein, an internally threaded stem depending from said container and being integrally secured thereto, said stem being secured to said tray by a bolt passingthrough said aperture to support said container centrally above and spaced from said tray, said fuelcas ing being integrally securedto the container adjacent one vertical end wall thereof above said dispensing opening and being of substantially the same height and width as said end wall, one

of the vertical walls of said containerhaving a groove therein extending substantially from the top to the bottom thereof, said flint strip secured withi'npsaid groove, said casing havingan opening in its top, said striker removably inserted through said opening into said casing and secured to said top, said ash tray having a diameter greater than the width of said container including said casing.

IRVING FLORMA N 

